Corrosion prevention



March 22, 1949.

mvENToR HEMA. Lamm/*UHU AGENT Patented Mar. 22, 1949 CORROSIONPREVENTION Harry A. Lockwood, Meriden, Conn., assigner, by mesneassignments, to Niles-Bement-Pond Company, West Hartford, Conn., acorporation of New Jersey Application September 23, 1944, Serial No.555,580

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to anti-corrosion apparatus andparticularly to apparatus for preventing corrosion in a chamber havingtwo openings of similar size, such as the barrel of a gun.

It is well known that the barrel of a gun must be kept clean and freefrom corrosion if it is to be accurate and to operate without jamming.The corrosion problem has been particularly diiiicult in the case ofaircraft which may have machine guns mounted with their muzzles pointingforward. Some of these aircraft are required to fly for several hundredmiles thru clouds or mist before reaching an area where the use of theirguns is required. The moisture in the air may collect in the barrels ofthe guns and cause corrosion, so that when the pilot of the aircraftneeds to use the guns, they do not function properly. It is alsopossible that the guns may not be used in several flights, withresulting corrosion during the period of non-use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved methodand means for preventing corrosion in the barrel of a gun.

A further object is to provide corrosion preventing means which may beapplied to a gun so as to be positively secured in place, and yet berapidly removed in the normal operation of the gun when its use isrequired, Without the necessity of making any special adjustment.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a consideration of the appended specification, claims anddrawing, in which Figure 1 represents an elevational View, partly insection, of an anti-corrosion device embodying the principles of myinvention, and

Figure 2 represents an elevational View, partly in section, of theanti-corrosion device of Figure l installed in a machine gun.

There is shown in Figure 1 an elongated casing I0, which is filled witha suitable desiccating material l2, such as silica gel. The casing I isformed with an integral perforated end I4, and its opposite end isenclosed by a cap I5 having a groove I6 and a ange I'I. A sealing memberI8 is provided for covering the perforated end I4. The casing IIJ, andthe cap I5 are preferably formed of a plastic such as Tenite II(cellulose acetate butyrate). In constructing the device, the casing IGis filled from the end which appears at the left in the drawing. The capI5 is then placed against the end of the casing Ill, and a suitablesolvent, such as acetone, for the plastic is applied around thecontacting surfaces of the cap and casing. As soon as the solvent dries,the cap and casing are integrally attached to each other.

The sealing member I3 is a boot moulded of synthetic rubber or otherequivalent material, which serves the dual purpose of sealing thedesiccator unit and the gun muzzle. The boot is provided with a bead 26adjacent the opening therein. The boot I8 may be applied to the casingIi by stretching the bead 2@ over the perforated end Iii. It should benoted that the external diameter of the sealing member I8 is larger thanthat of the casing I 0, so that the casing cannot be placed in thechamber of the gun Without removing the sealing member.

The casing I@ and the cap I5 together are shaped the same as a cartridgeintended for use in the gun to be protected against corrosion by thisdevice, so that said casing can be ejected by the operation of theejector of the gun.

When the corrosion preventing device is to be applied to a gun, such asthat shown generally at 2d in Figure 2, the sealing member I 8 isremoved from the casing I0 by slipping off. The casing Ill is thenplaced in the cartridge chamber 26 of the gun, so that the air in thebarrel can communicate thru the perforations in the end I4 with thedesiccating material inside the casing Ill. The muzzle 28 of the gun isthen sealed by stretching the sealing member I8 over it.

A gun protected against corrosion in this man-l ner may be carried aconsiderable distance without the occurrence of any undesirablecorrosion due to moisture in the barrel. For example, if the gun ismounted in an aircraft, it may be carried several hundred -miles thrurain, fog and clouds, with no adverse corrosion effects. Furthermore,when the use of the gun is required, the pilot or other member of theaircraft crew merely has to operate his usual control, and the gun isimmediately effective. The casing I0 is ejected from the cartridgechamber by the usual empty shell ejecting mechanism. The sealing memberI8 is of course removed from the muzzle or torn open by the first bulletfired by the gun. There is no delay whatsoever in preparing the gun foruse.

Although I have illustrated my invention as applied to a gun barrel, itshould be readily apparent that it is equally applicable to theprevention of corrosion in other elongated chambers such as tubes orconduits, and in fact in any chamber having two openings of similarsize. The particular type of sealing member disclosed may be applied toany opening having a peripheral projecting rim, such as a gun muzzle.Also, the invention may be applied to such a device under shipment,storage, service, or other conditions, as required.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention,other modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and Itherefore intend my invention to be limited only by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for preventing corrosion in a gun iarrel, comprising acasing shaped like the rear )ortion of a cartridge and which casing isidapted for complete insertion in to substan- 'fially close thecartridge receiving end of the run barrel, said casing havingperformations in ts forward end, dehydrating material in said zasing,and a removable sealing member closing iaid perforated end having anedge portion ex- ;ending laterally beyond the side of said casingsufficiently to prevent insertion of the casing in ;he chamber of saidbarrel without removal of iaid member.

2. A device for preventing corrosion in a gun iarrel, comprising acasing shaped like a cartridge :'or said gun barrel and havingperforations in its v'orward end, dehydrating material in said casing,ind a removable sealing member closing said per- .'orated end, saidsealing member having an edge Jortion extending laterally beyond theside of ;aid casing to prevent insertion of the casing in ,he chamber ofsaid gun barrel without removal if said member, said member beingadapted to Je sealingly applied to the muzzle of said gun Lfter itsremoval from said end so that said barlel forms a chamber closed by saidcasing and ;aid member and having the air therein exposed yo saiddehydrating material thru said perforated end.

3. Apparatus for preventing corrosion in an alongated tube, comprising acasing having one and perforated and adapted for insertion in one and ofsaid tube, dehydrating material in said easing, and a sealing membernormally sealingly engaging said perforated end of said casing andLdapted after removal from said end to seal the )ther end of said tube.

4. Apparatus for preventing corrosion in a gun iarrel, comprising acasing having one end per- 'orated and adapted for insertion in thebreech )f said barrel, dehydrating material in said casng, and a sealingmember normally sealingly en- :aging said perforated end of said casingand Ldapted after removal from said end to seal the nuzzle of saidbarrel, said sealing member com- )rising a generally cylindrical rubberboot, closed Lt one end and having a bead around its open and, said beadbeing adapted when stretched ver said perforated end or said muzzle tomainain said boot in sealing engagement therewith.

5. Apparatus for preventing corrosion in a uhamber having two openingsof approximately qual area, one of said openings having a periph- :ralprojecting rim, comprising a casing having ne end perforated and adaptedfor insertion in he other of said openings, dehydrating material n saidcasing, and a sealing member normally ealingly engaging Ysaid perforatedend of said asing and adapted after removal from said end o seal saidone opening, said sealing member omprising a generally cylindricalrubber boot, losed at one end and having a bead around its pen end, saidbead being adapted when tretched over said perforated end or said rim tomaintain said boot in sealing engagement therelith.

6. A device for preventing corrosion in a gun rarrel, comprising acasing shaped like a carridge for said gun barrel for complete insertionn the chamber thereof, said casing containing .ehydrating material andhaving perforations in ts forward end and a groove and flange at its`pposite end for engagement by the shell ejector ""casing containingdehydrating material seal the chamber of a gun barrel, including meanswhereby said casing is ejected as a cartridge from said chamber, and aperforated closure at the forward end of said casing.

60 HARRY A. LOCKWOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 45,020 Cleu Nov. 15, 1864 388,804f Wooster Aug. 28, 1888 540,748/ Layton June 11, 1895 558,840f'/ PurvesApr. 21, 1896 1,856,867v Frederick `et al. May 3, 1932 1,868,961/ AhrensJuly 26, 1932 1,877,685 f/Ottenheimer Sept. 13, 1932 G5 1,893,525 fSherer Jan. 10, 1933 /12315949 W Cronsnedt Mar. so, 1943 2,327,334.Parker Aug. 17, 1943 @7,385,901 Ayers Dec. 7, 1943 2,341,310 i Calhounet al. Feb. 8, 1944 7o FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,087 GreatBritain 1915 associated with said gun barrel to remove said casing fromsaid chamber.

7. Apparatus for preventing corrosion in an elongated tube, comprising acasing conforming generally to the interior of said tube for insertionin one end thereof, said casing having one end perforated, dehydratingmaterial in said casing, and a member sealing said perforated end andcomprising a generally cylindrical rubber boot, closed at one end andhaving a bead around its open end, said bead being effective whenstretched over said perforated end to maintain said member in sealingengagement therewith, said member also being adapted after its removalfrom said end to have said bead stretched over the other end of saidtube to seal said other end, said casn ing and said member therebyforming with said tube a closed chamber whose interior air is exposed tosaid dehydrating material.

8. A device for preventing corrosion in a gun barrel, comprising acasing shaped like a cartridge for said gun barrel for insertion in thechamber thereof, said casing containing dehydrating material and havingperforations in its vforward end, and a member sealing said forward end,said sealing member being readily removable from said end and adapted toseal the muzzle of said gun barrel, regardless of the external diameterthereof.

9. A device for preventing corrosion in the barrel of a gun, comprisinga cartridge-shaped cas` ing containing dehydrating material and havingone end perforated and adapted for insertion in the breech of saidbarrel, and a sealing member vnormally sealing said perforated end ofsaid casing and adapted after removal from said end to seal the muzzleof said barrel; said casing having means whereby it is automaticallyejected by the normal operation of said gun, and said sealing memberbeing adapted to be automatically removed by the normal operation ofsaid gun.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a and adapted to t whollyWithin and substantially

